The Coalition government plans to trial electronic health records that will be available to all in the trial area, not just those who opt in.

A review of the former Labor government’s personally controlled electronic health record system, released last year, found problems with its opt-in nature, limited range of clinical information and usability.

A key criticism of the system was that it could not be used unless a patient signed up, rather than an all-inclusive system that takes in all except those who choose to opt out because they do not want their medical history made available.